AirPlay in car

I'm looking for a way to put an AirPlay setup in my car. I have a Bluetooth enabled stereo, but I want a way to enable passengers to hook up their phones without pairing them up.

The stereo is default, built in, so there's no option to replace it. Inside the centre arm rest I have a spare in car power source, alongside a 3.5mm audio connector.

I could just plug a cable in there, and let whoever wants to use it just plug the cable in their phones and go from there, but I'd prefer to get an AirPlay enabled box hidden in the armrest if possible. With the power source, and a USB port, I could power a box no problem.

I've heard of Air enabler, but I can't easily source that here in the uk. I've tried a neet Airstream, which claims to work in cars, but the connection was very ropey, with regular audio dropouts.

Ideally I'm hunting for a simple plug n play setup. I've hunted around but not found anything that fits the bill.

I've attached a photo of the car stereo as it currently is. Cant see any simple way to change this for an aftermarket option.

What kind of car do you have? Crutchfield.com will be able to tell you if it is possible to change out your radio. My car has a similar dash and they make a kit that makes it possible to replace it. Other than that on Amazon they make a Bluetooth adapter that plugs into your aux port that allows you to stream your music without wires. I have not heard of anything that will allow CarPlay with out it either being factory installed or an aftermarket radio.

In the meantime, I think I may have found a basic workaround, I will test it out later and mention if it works. Basically, there are a lot of apps on the Google Play Store that make Android devices into Airplay receivers. My theory is to install such an app on an old Android device, and stick that inside the centre armrest. By plugging the handset into the aux port, it should stream music from any iDevice via AirPlay to the stereo, plus there is a power supply in car for the Android handset, to prevent battery running down.

Given that Android devices are so common and cheap, it should prove to be a cost effective solution until I can sort out a proper way of doing this. I know for some Android is not an option, I'm just happy to put available technology to use to suit my needs. Can easily pick up a basic device for 20-50, even better if it is a model with replaceable battery.

In the meantime, we need someone with the tech smarts to introduce a Chromecast-like Airplay dongle. Would make life so much easier. Can't be just me who would appreciate AirPlay functionality in car?

This link is just an example on how to remove the current radio and install a new one. All you need it a wire harness, possible steering wheel control module , and the proper dash mount kit. Like I said before you can contact crutchfield on the phone. They are very helpful. They can answer all the questions about specific parts you might need.